eHealth 
Practice Incentive Program (PIP) eHealth Incentive
Overview and Requirements
The PIP eHealth Incentive aims to encourage clinics to remain up to date with developments in eHealth and to improve the quality of patient care. Currently, the requirements are in the areas of secure messaging, PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), and electronic access to key resources for GPs. Clinics must comply with all requirements in order to receive the PIP eHealth Incentive payment which is $6.50 per SWPE (Standardised Whole Patient Equivalent) per year and capped at $12,500.00 per quarter.
Requirement 1. Secure messaging capability which is provided by an eligible supplier
Clinics must have secure messaging capability that will allow encrypted clinical or medical information to be sent or received electronically, using a secure messaging system provided by an eligible supplier. This system may be either integrated into the clinical or practice management system, or a separate system.
Requirement 2. Have (or have applied for) a PKI location certificate for each clinic and ensure that each GP has (or has applied for) an individual PKI certificate
PKI is essential for the secure transmission of personal clinical and medical patient information. It is currently used in those clinics sending Medicare claims electronically. It is based on a defined set of policies, procedures and technology that allows separate entities to send information safely and securely. Only the intended recipient can read the information because of encryption technologies used, and the recipient knows from whom the message was sent. The use of both location and individual certificates is a very important part of the national ehealth strategy.
Requirement 3. GPs must have access to a range of key electronic resources
Under this requirement, GPs must have access to a large range of up to date electronic resources. The can be either CD-ROM based, installed on the computer hard drive, or direct links to the appropriate website. These resources are described in the tables below.
At least one electronic resource from each of the categories in Table 1 below:
| Category | Examples |
| Concise, evidence-based guide to recommendations about patient management that covers all common disorders seen in general practice (latest edition) | e-Therapeutic Guidelines Complete |
| Formulary of medicines available in Australia that provides comparative drug information reflective of contemporary Australian general practice and is independent of pharmaceutical company involvement (latest edition) | Australian Medicines Handbook |
| Evidence-based guide to preventive activities in general practice which is relevant to the Australian population (latest edition) | RACGP: Guidelines for Preventive Activities in General Practice (known as the Red Book) |
At least 3 resources from any of the categories in Table 2 below:
| Category | Examples |
| Journal of evidence-based clinical care | Bandolier; Clinical Evidence |
| Clinical resources (latest editions) | Immunisation: Myths and Realities; The Australian Immunisation Handbook: Assessing Fitness to Drive |
| Regulatory resources (latest editions) | Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS); Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) |
Resources
PIP eHealth Guidelines, PIP eHealth Application Form. PIP eHealth Eligible Suppliers. Various forms and informational documents are also available from the Health Professionals section of the Medicare website.
